Fubara: Did Amaewhule Note How Fast The Case Moved; Filed At 9am, With An Ex Parte Order By 12?-Sambo

Fresh concerns have been raised over the judicial process surrounding the stalled impeachment move against Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, following comments by ARISE News Politics Editor and Director of News, SA Sambo, on Friday, January 23, 2026.

Speaking during an ARISE News interview on the deepening political crisis in Rivers State, Sambo questioned the unusually rapid timeline with which a court order was issued to halt impeachment proceedings initiated by the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“I’m wondering whether Speaker Martin Amaewhule actually looked at the time this case was filed,” Sambo said. “It was filed around 9:00 a.m., and by 12 noon, there was already an ex parte order.”

The comment draws attention to the interim injunction issued by a Rivers State High Court, which effectively froze the impeachment process just as lawmakers moved to activate Section 188 of the 1999 Constitution. That court order was later cited by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, as the basis for declining the Assembly’s request to constitute a seven-member investigative panel.

Sambo’s observation adds a new layer to the controversy, shifting scrutiny from legislative conduct to judicial timing and procedural propriety. Ex parte orders granted without hearing from the opposing party, have increasingly come under national scrutiny, particularly after warnings from the National Judicial Council against their perceived political misuse.

By questioning whether the Speaker fully interrogated the circumstances surrounding the court filing and the speed of the ruling, Sambo implied that the legal process itself may have become a strategic tool in the ongoing power struggle between Governor Fubara and forces aligned with the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The impeachment attempt against Governor Fubara has been widely viewed through a political lens, given Rivers State’s strategic importance and the broader rivalry between the governor and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Sambo’s remarks underscore growing concerns that judicial interventions in high-stakes political disputes may be eroding public confidence in due process.

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